Windows 8: 'Refresh' and 'Reset' your PC

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributor

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes Contributor

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over two decades to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera. Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs.

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Posted in Hardware 2.0 on September 14, 2011 | Topic: Hardware

While digging around in Windows 8 I came across two feature in Control Panel that I just had to click on to see what they did - an option to 'refresh' my system and another one that allowed me to 'reset' it.

The differences are pretty self-explanatory, but here's a quick run-down just in case you're confused:

• Refresh Gives the OS a refresh but leaves all your files and settings untouched. Apps downloaded from the Windows Store will be kept but other applications will be lost.
• Reset Everything - apps, applications, files, settings - are junked and the system is back to a fresh install.

Each involved just a few clicks, and NO Windows installation disk is required. Both processes seem to take a few minutes (between 5 and 10 minutes ... I wasn't timing it, there's no point with such an early build) and a few reboots.

Refresh:

Reset:

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